Life is good for Gabriel Hamer-Webb at the moment. Named in the Wales squad for the Nations Championship earlier this week, the 25-year-old has enjoyed a fast start to the season with Leicester Tigers.

He is the club’s leading try-scorer so far in this embryonic campaign and putting sufficient heat on the established wing duo of Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins for the Tigers to bring in a rotation policy out wide.

The path to these sunny uplands has been far from straightforward, however. You would not wish it on anyone.

A talented footballer, growing up in Bath, who spent time with Bristol City and Southampton as a child, he made the decision to pursue rugby union relatively late.

“When I was younger, I knew I would play some sport professionally, but I never ever expected to be here doing this. I was probably 15 or 16 when rugby stole my heart. My friends played and I just found I enjoyed rugby so much,” he said.

“Mum just said, ‘Do what makes you happy’ and that’s what I did. My parents were very supportive and took me to every training session, but they weren’t massively clued up on it all. I didn’t have too much guidance. There certainly wasn’t any pressure from them. It was my own decision based on enjoyment, which is probably a good way to go.”

He progressed so quickly he was taken on by Bath when he left school but within a fortnight of joining, his world was rocked when his father, who had boxed in the Army, died suddenly of a heart attack.

“I was 18 when he passed,” he recalled. “It was in my first pre-season with Bath Rugby and I was going into a whole new environment.

“I was surrounded by fantastic people like Jamie Roberts, Anthony Watson and Freddie Burns who all made a big effort with me and that really helped. But becoming the man of the family at such a young age was a tough thing.

“I put some pressure on myself to be that and look after my family. It probably took me a couple of years to figure that out. It definitely wasn’t a quick thing. I’m still learning and probably still trying to process that a bit, but I always try to look for the silver lining and it did bring me, my sisters and my mum so much closer together.”

When I found out about my brother, I had a game the next day. I kept it to myself and played.

Alas, the despair was not over. There was more awful news last year.

“My brother Myles ended up taking his own life. Out of the blue,” said Hamer-Webb.

“The experience with my father aided me with that, I think. Since my father had passed, I’d always tried to be that pillar for my sisters and my mum especially. As long as I try to do that job well, I’m all good.

“When I found out about my brother, I had a game the next day. I kept it to myself and played.”

At the time Hamer-Webb was playing for Cardiff – where his mum was born – having been released by Bath and returned from a season in Invercargill playing for Southland Stags in the NPC.

The club psychologist might have recommended a different course of action had he known, but rugby and the camaraderie of the dressing room was Hamer-Webb’s immediate coping mechanism.

“It affected everyone in the family in different ways, but I guess I’m a bit of a job-before-self kind of person,” he said.

Time, ultimately, is the only healer and the family, pulled tight together by tragedy, have attempted to move on.

They are a talented bunch. Hamer-Webb’s sister Olivia is a potter whose past clients have included Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch and who has built up an Instagram following of 270,000.

I’m probably not the best person at chatting to people about any worries I might have, so maybe what comes out on the canvas will be my outlet for that.

“My mum was an artist – she is now an illustrator – my sister is a potter and my other sister Romi can draw and paint fantastically too. She may even be the best in an artistic family,” he explained.

“I’ve got that DNA too but I’m still trying to find where it fits. I’ve recently ordered a new stand and have a canvas ready to go at home for a new project. I don’t know where I will go with it – just where my mind takes me.

“The missus told me I needed to tap back into my creative stuff outside work and I do need to get back into it. I’m probably not the best person at chatting to people about any worries I might have, so maybe what comes out on the canvas will be my outlet for that. It has been in the past.”

The rugby side of his life has been going from strength to strength since he joined Leicester last season. He had to bide his time before starting his first Prem game in January, but a Wales debut followed hot on the heels of it the following month in the Six Nations against Scotland.

“You get told that the Principality is the best stadium in the world and I got to see that first hand. It probably hit the most when the anthem started. You look up and there’s this wall of thousands of fans all on top of you. It was absolutely incredible. It was so good you want to experience it again and again,” he said.

If the summer was a frustration as part of the Wales squad but without any game time, it served to stoke the fires ahead of this campaign, which started with a bang with a hat-trick against Saracens.

“I wanted to be more involved and to be out there with the Wales boys so it was definitely frustrating, but because that didn’t happen it gave me an extra push of motivation to start this season well and force myself back in for the autumn,” he said. “I still haven’t found my place as a starter but obviously that’s the goal.”

Saints are the biggest test on an emotional level because of what it means to the boys who are Leicester-born and bred, but even as someone who joins Leicester, you do buy into it massively.

Before then he has the buzz of an East Midlands derby this weekend to look forward to. Northampton may be the defending champions but last time they came to Tiger town in May they were thumped 41-17.

“There has definitely been a different feel to this week. We had training on Wednesday and it was tipping it down, but the energy was so high and we absolutely ripped in. It was one of the best sessions we’ve had,” he said.

“They are the biggest test on an emotional level because of what it means to the boys who are Leicester-born and bred, but even as someone who joins Leicester, you do buy into it massively. It’s a must-win for us at a packed-out Welford Road.”